First things first, since this is a cloth diaper blog, How many diapers are in your stash?
I'm a little shy to admit that we have 36 in our stash, not counting a few newborn CDs that Elijah sized out of immediately. I collected different brands of diapers before determining which worked best for his size and shape. The breakdown: 19 BumGenius, 4 Bummis, 3 Blueberry, 3 Tiny Tush, 3 Fuzzibunz, 1 GoGreen, 1 Econobum, 1 Grovia (saving for a swim cover), and 1 Happy Heinys. Luckily I was able to borrow several other brands to see how they worked, even hosting a cloth diaper party at my house. I plan to use them as our family grows and sell them when were all finished!

What is your favorite diaper and why?
The OS BumGenius 4.0 pocket, in snap OR aplix, is hands (feet?) down, my favorite. They are budget-friendly and fit his size perfectly. I can stuff them for daytime and add hemp for overnight. They are babysitter-friendly and come in bright, fun colors. They're my go-tos when I'm showing off how easy they are!

What was the thing about Motherhood that came the easiest to you?
I think the bond that Elijah and I formed once he was born was the best and easiest thing for me I'll never forget holding his gaze once they put him on my chest. I had been really worried about bonding because of a previous miscarriage, but Elijah has always been a happy, content baby, making my transition to motherhood easier than I initially imagined.

What has been the hardest thing?
Leaving my newborn with a babysitter continues to be a daily internal struggle for me. I dont want to miss out on a single smile, giggle, or milestone of his precious life!

Are you a SAHM, Working mom or WAHM or does your spouse stay home?
I am an elementary school counselor, and my husband is a technician. We have a pretty good balance of sharing responsibilities at home so that we each have time with the baby and time together as a family after the workday. We treasure our time together on the weekends!

What issues are important to you that led you to cloth diapering? Environment? Cost? Natural parenting?
My sister-in-law first exposed me to cloth diapers, and I liked the savings (I won a lot of my stash and got great deals on everything else), their cuteness factor, and how soft and clean they seemed compared to disposables. Their greatest benefit is that they reduce my sons carbon footprint on the world. I guess you could call my family crunchy. I feel blessed to be a nursing, baby-wearing mommy who was able to have the intervention-free childbirth experience that I had envisioned for myself, thanks to an amazing team of nurses, my doctor, and my husband.

What do you have planned for baby's first Christmas?
This Christmas, we'll continue to combine Phillips and my family's childhood traditions, but we also hope to create new ones just for baby Elijah. We've already enjoyed Breakfast with Santa at the school where I work, where Elijah sat on Santa's lap without a fuss (whew!). Phillip and I ran the Christmastown Dash 8k at Busch Gardens and donated to "Toys for Tots" for our second year in a row, and we plan to make this an annual December tradition. Elijah participated last year after I finished the 5-mile race while pregnant! While making "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornaments this year, we decided to make two of each so that Elijah can keep a set when he's an adult! (That's the sentimental side of me!)
Were hoping to wear Elijah to our church's Christmas Eve service in our ERGO, followed by a white elephant gift exchange with Phillips siblings (hes one of ten!). This year is extra-special, as 3 baby boys were born since June!
As we tuck Elijah into his Rock 'n Play before Santa comes that night, well skip "Peedie" and "Pajama Time" to read from Luke Chapter 2 and listen to Wilford Brimley's rendition of The Night Before Christmas (thank you, Hallmark, circa 1988). A few days later, well head to Williamsburg to celebrate Christmas with my family!

Interested in being a Family Focus featured family? Contact Stacey at stacey@diaperjunction.com

I really enjoyed this featured Family Focus. I personally know Ashley and she is a wonderful person. My son and daughter-n-law are expecting my 3rd grandchild anytime and they are going to be using cloth diapers. In fact Ashley answered all my daughter-n-laws questions about the diapers.
I used cloth diapers on my children, but that was years ago! And cloth dipaers have sure changed over the years. First time I saw this site was when Ashley was being given a baby shower and she had the link

Ruby BartleyDate 12/7/2012

The tears came to my eyes as I read the article. I am the proud great grandmother on Phillip's side. Phillip and Ashley are certainly doing all the right things and the best part is that love God and are teaching Elijah to also.